HelloMovies is a great search engine. As I deconstruct this website, I find that if I type in any query related to a specific movie or actor/actress, the search box exposes a drop-down menu that posts the most relevant results as I am typing in the next character. For example, I start typing in Cameron and as I type her name, Cameron Diaz appears at the top of the menu. In this way, the site is also automated. Therefore, the site provides relevant information for my queries.
There is definitely a large variety of search results as HelloMovies draws on the resources of other databases like iTunes, Netflix, and Hulu for its movie listings. My search results are categorized onto a page. For example, I clicked on Cameron Diaz after entering her name into the search box and a profile pops up with her name and picture, as well as a poster of every film she has been in as an actress. These posters provide links to the specific films that you can watch either through the internet or at the movie theater after selecting a showtime and maybe paying for your ticket online. It also has listings of movies that she has yet to appear in, but is signed on to film or is in the process of filming. Furthermore, there are stats listed under her name that ranks the enjoyment users find in her overall performance. The format of search results is easy for navigation and aesthetically pleasing since the movie posters are provided. The delivery of the results makes it easy for the person using the search engine to find the movie related to a specific actor or find the exact movie they are looking for in an instant.
The search engine appears to be updates often, however, there is always some aspect that is missing. For instance, not every movie has a trailer link for a particular movie. Perhaps a trailer does not exist, but for those movies that definitely have a trailer, the link just has not been provided yet. However, there is the option to add the trailer yourself and that link is directly under where the trailer would appear if it existed. This allows users of the search engine to become more interactive and makes them feel a part of the creation and growth of the search engine. I personally would be more inclined to dedicate my time on a particular search engine if I have contributed in raising the value of search results.
The search engine is definitely targeting movie lovers and people who like to be connected through their film interests. Since the search engine operates in a "Facebook" fashion, users want to stay connected with their friends and compare their profiles with other users. This leads to a ton of traffic for the site because users will be checking up often to see what movies their friends are seeing or what movies they may have missed in the past that appeal to shared interests. Users may also use this site as a main destination for viewing movie trailers, though other sites like Apple Trailers provide high-definition trailers for faster connections. With the personalization of the search engine in creating your own profile with links to all of your friends and fellow movie lovers, it really makes you feel like a real movie critic. When other people can see how many movies you have seen and judged, you can start to feel proud of the depth of your viewing and rating history. The creators of the search engine post blogs often about their experiences in development of the site, as well as provide their opinion about recent occurrences in the film search engine industry. This provides a medium for news related to the search engine industry so that users of the site can come up with new ideas or desires for the expansion of HelloMovies. This creative idea generation is a huge value-add for the developers. It allows them to improve the site free of cost because who is really going to hold back an idea to bribe the developers for a portion of the profits from the operation of the search engine? Since the search engine allows you to easily leave feedback by clicking on the right side of the screen, you also get to be a developer of the search engine. You can instantly leave feedback regarding how to make the site better, which drastically improves the quality of the experience. It also increases responsiveness of the users, as well as the formal developers of the search engine. You are responding to latest updates, while they are responding to your latest feedback. The cycle makes for constant improvement.
One flaw I noticed in the search engine is that it does not have a special search syntax or an explanation of what is the best way for finding the answer to your query. Though you can sort through results based on particular parameters, you cannot simply type in the actors name and the title of the movie in the search box and expect that movie to pop up on the results page. What you end up getting is a laundry list of results that may or may not help you find what you are looking for. The search engine could definitely improve this aspect of the query process. Users may not know exactly what they are looking for, so the developers need to come up with a way to help users to follow the bread crumbs to their final destination. A search syntax page with query terms would be nice. Therefore, the site is effective for information gathering, but not the most efficient.
The search engine is great for bringing a lot of relevant information to the user and in a quick, intuitive manner. Users are linked to video, images, blogs, RSS feeds, personal profiles, reviews, ratings, real-time updates, related sites, historical data, and an online community all from one central point. HelloMovies gives you knowledge; it not only gives you the ability to find information, but also the ability to learn. It is an awesome tool for discovery. You can discover new things about yourself and those people around you in terms of your specialized need. The site connects you to new tools like Twitter, Facebook, and RSS Feeds in order to further the modernization of the search industry. This search engine provides several mediums for gathering information, which makes it a great resource.
